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Draper, Gauff and Raducanu among 10 to watch

Lancashire Evening Post

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June 30, 2025

Wimbledon begins on Monday with Carlos Alcaraz and Barbora Krejcikova bidding to defend the titles they won last year. Andy Sims picks out 10 players to watch over the next fortnight.

1. COCO GAUFF

The charismatic American heads to Wimbledon as the new French Open champion, but her grass ceiling remains the fourth round. Yet if her forehand and serve hold up, Gauff has all the weapons and athleticism to master her least favourite surface. The 21-year-old will be seeded second so there should be little danger until the latter stages of the tournament.

2. ARYNA SABALENKA

The runaway world number one has yet to make a major impact at Wimbledon and had to withdraw from last year's tournament through injury. Sabalenka's ragged display in the Roland Garros final was hard to take, so the powerful Belarusian will be determined to reassert her authority at the top of the women's game by adding the SW19 title to her US and Australian Open crowns.

3. EMMA RADUCANU

Now back at the top of the British rankings, Raducanu is playing probably some of her best tennis since her remarkable US Open triumph in 2021although that bar is quite low after a turbulent few years. The 22-year-old is having to manage a back problem, but her informal coaching arrangement with Mark Petchey appears to be working.

4. TATJANA MARIA

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